Left Michigan at 3:35 on Thursday, December 23rd, with WAY TOO MUCH STUFF, and of course, as I am walking through the airport, I realized I had forgotten my own pillow, not good! After a quick flight to Charlotte for the shortest connection of all time (exaggeration) I was on my 8 hour flight to Rome. I paid the extra $11 dollars for a window, and thank goodness, because the plane was completely full. The young gentleman next to me was from Texas Tech, Guns Up Baby! He was going to visit his parents who are living in Libya, wild.
My flying companion and I decided to indulge in an in-flight cocktail, thank you ginger ale and Canadian Club for easing me into the flight. The meal served was actually not to shabby. Mind you the last meal I had in the states was a National Coney Island with Fries and a Chocolate Milk, so it was going to be a hard meal to beat. However, the pasta with pesto, once topped with a little salt, was warm and tasty for being an airplane meal. Served with a roll, salad, and an interesting looking/tasting brownie, it hit the spot at the moment.
After arriving an hour late into Rome, with a numb butt, I was ready to step foot onto Italian soil. It was 10:20 am on Friday, December 24th, Christmas Eve Day. It was a busy day at the Rome Airport, however, after grabbing a chair at a cafe, I spotted Chef Lorenzo, whom with which I am interning with. We were waiting for one more intern to arrive from the CIA in New York. Franchesco came out of customs just a bit later, don’t worry, he’s 100% Italian and knows the language fairly well. I am already behind, but thanks to all my cd’s and books, plan to rectify this.
Mom, if you think driving in the States is scary, try being a passanger here. Although they do drive on the same side as the US, there is no use of turn signals, good karma, or speed control. It was a bit harry, however after a 2 hour drive, we arrived to our little apartment in lower Orvieto; 2 bedrooms, small kitchen and living area, bathroom, washer, and the coolest key ever. After this brief stop, it was off to Ristorante Zepellini in Orvieto Scala, where I will be working. A long, narrow space, with a large prep kitchen and an additional service kitchen, it will be interesting to navigate it starting Monday. Hopefully I will get to explore the narrow streets of Orvieto more this weekend.
From here it was off to the supermarket, Franchesco’s luggage did not arrive, so he needed essentials. Lorenzo decided to purchase our food at this time as well, he’s my kind of shopper, tossing items into the kart 2 or 3 at a time; cheeses, breads, sausages, tasty treats, it was silly. Then no time to stop at home, off to Lorenzo’s home in Baschi for the family holiday celebration. So Much Food! There was about 13 of us and all kinds of food; pizzas, cheeses, soup, apple tart, pastries, a traditional and tasty tuna dish. But the best dish was the Truffle Risotto. Made with a wooden spoon and some champagne, this dish not only had 4 large truffles, julienned, into the risotto, but 6 medium sized fresh ones shaved on top. Oh My was it divine. Best risotto ever, but I will be on the hunt now that I am in the homeland of risotto. After dinner, the family started signing songs in English and Italian, it was great fun. By the time we got back to our flat, it was 10:30 pm. A very, very, very long day. Now grocery’s are away, all of my stuff that I brought has a home in my little room, and I showered. Ready for bed, don’t worry, I am sticking to my routine, it is now 2 am. Goodnight Everyone!!!
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